Device for bending and shaping growing trees.



No. 728,886- PATBNTBD MAY 26, 1903 L. EGKER. DEVICE FOR BENDING ANDSHAPING GROWING TREES.

APiLIOATION rum) rm. 14. 1902 10 MODEL.

1101122250 Faker flttomay UNITED- STATES Patented May 26, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

LORENZO EOKER, OF BROADALBIN, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,886, dated May 26,1903.

Application filed February 14, 1902. Serial No. 94,138. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LORENZO ECKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Broadalbin, in the county of Fulton and State of New York,haveinvented a certain new and useful Device for the Bending and ShapingofvGrowing Trees; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention is a device for bending and shaping young trees whilegrowing into an ornamental arbor. I attain the object intended by meansof the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 shows the device closed. Fig. 2 shows the same opened, and Fig.3 shows the same in use. I

Similarlettersreferto similar parts throughout the several views.

Ct is a board of variable length and width, (to meet requirements,) ineither end of which a circle I) is cut. The board is then cut throughthe center of the circles and thev pieces thus formed reattached to themain board by means of copper hinges c on the one side and provided withhooks and staples d on the other to lock the same. Equidist'ant from thecenter of the board holes 6 e are bored,

' through which guy-ropes f f are passed, in-

tended to reach and be fastened to the tops of the trees, bent todesired shape. At each ex tremity of the board are screw eyes or staplesg g, to which are attached guy-ropes g and h,

leading to pegs driven in the ground at the sides of the trees, thusholding the trees rigid, straight, and in the proper shape until thegrain is set.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device for bending and shaping growing trees the combination ofa bar, a clasp at each end thereof, adapted to hold the trunk of agrowing tree, means for staying said bar in a fixed position to theground, and means for staying the top of said tree in a fixed positionto said bar, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a device for shaping and bending growing trees the combination ofa bar, a clasp at each end thereof, adapted to hold the trunk of agrowing tree, stays at each end of said bar adapted to be secured to theground, and. stays secured to the central por-

